Slate roofing material joint and slate roof structure using the joint

Abstract

A slate roofing material joint having a flat strip-shaped mounting base plate made of weatherproof soft resin. A pair of flat-based plates, which are also weatherproof, but are made of hard resin, are connected to the sides of the mounting base plate. Several water-guide protruding strips run along the base plates and edge flashings made of weatherproof soft resin are formed at the outer edge of the base plates. A portion of the edge flashings are bent upward and curved inward with an edge thickness that progressively declines for elastically supporting roofing material. The entire structure forms an integral unit made of weatherproof soft and hard resins for carrying away water, which has seeped through the roofing material, out from under the roofing material.

I claim: 
     
       1. A roofing material joint comprising: a flat strip-shaped mounting base plate made of continuous weatherproof soft resin;   a pair of flat base plates made of weatherproof hard resin, having a plane rectangular shape and connected to the mounting base plate with the ends of the base plates and the mounting base plate being flush;   several water-guide protruding strips located on the two base plates in the direction in which the mounting base plate runs;   edge flashings made of weatherproof soft resin, located on an outer edge of the two base plates, with a circular section bent upward and curved inward and with an end edge thickness that progressively declines; and   wherein the joint forms an integral unit made of weatherproof soft resin and hard resin from the mounting base plate, the pair of base plates and the pair of edge flashings for carrying water, which seeps through adjacent roofing portions, out from under the roofing portions.   
     
     
       2. The roofing material joint of claim 1, further comprising: a center line mark made in the middle of a top face of the mounting base plate and running in the longitudinal direction for centering said adjacent roofing portions over said joint.   
     
     
       3. The slate roofing material joint of claim 1, further comprising: minute grooves running in the longitudinal direction formed in a top of the base plates at an inside of the edge flashings.   
     
     
       4. A roof structure using the roofing material joint according to any of claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein the joint is arranged on top of a lower piece of roofing material in correspondence to an adjacent upper piece of roofing material laid above said lower piece in overlapping fashion and fixing the upper piece of roofing material on top of the lower piece with approximately one-third overlapping. 
     
     
       5. A roofing material joint comprising: a mounting base plate made of a strip of continuous waterproof soft resin;   two flat base plates each made of a strip of continuous waterproof hard resin, each said flat base plate connected to opposite sides of the mounting base plate;   edge flashings each made of soft waterproof resin and formed on an outer perimeter of the two flat base plates opposite the side connecting the flat base plates to the mounting base plate;   hook-shaped, circular sections of the edge flashings for supporting roofing material and forming a seal between the supported roofing material and the joint; and   wherein, the mounting base plate, two flat base plates, edge flashings and hook-shaped, circular sections form said roofing material joint which is continuous and prevents water from leaking into a roof by forming a channel for carrying water, which has seeped through the roofing material, along the joint and out from under the roofing material.   
     
     
       6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising: water-guide protruding strips formed along the joint on a surface forming the channel for facing the supported roofing material, and running in a longitudinal direction of a roof for channeling water out from under the roofing material.   
     
     
       7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising: a center line mark centered in the middle of the joint and running in a longitudinal direction to assist the assembly of the roofing material on the joint.   
     
     
       8. A roof structure using the roofing material joint according to claim 7, wherein two pieces of roofing material are placed side by side with an abutment centered on said center line mark such that water seeping through the abutment falls onto a center point of the joint and is carried out from under the roofing material. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the mounting base plate forms a depression between the flat base plates for carrying additional water. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising: minute grooves at the point where the edge flashings connect to the flat base plates for further channeling water out from under the roofing material.   
     
     
       11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the joint is rectangular and has even sides. 
     
     
       12. A roof structure using the roofing material joint according to claim 5, further comprising: a plurality said roofing material joints fixed between layers of overlapping pieces of roofing material, wherein the overlapping portions of the roofing material do not exceed one-third of each piece of said overlapping roofing material.